


a charitable cause

by missmichellebelle



Series: AU August [1]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Age Difference, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Fluff, Humor, Kissing Booths, M/M, Mikasa Ackerman & Levi Are Siblings, Mutual Pining, Secret Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-01
Updated: 2018-08-01
Packaged: 2019-06-20 07:54:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,854
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15529644
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/missmichellebelle/pseuds/missmichellebelle
Summary: Off to his left is a crudely constructed platform plastered with a rainbow of garish, neon poster boards and leftover Valentine’s Day decorations. It proclaims itself aKISSING BOOTHin horrendous block lettering, but it’s one sign in particular that catches Levi's attention:KISS THE SOCCER TEAM - $10





	a charitable cause

**Author's Note:**

> look who's back from _yet another_ unplanned hiatus? 8D
> 
> that being said, I decided to actually kind of _do_ a comeback this time around, and was super excited when I noticed my reinvigorated interest in fandom/writing/how much Eren and Levi are in love coincided with the beginning of August
> 
> did you guys know that in my entire fandom career, I have _never_ done AU August? I figured it was time to change that
> 
> alternatively titled: watch me establish dozens of new series and not commit to any of them lol. but essentially the goal here is to post as many different AUs as possible within the next five weeks, so... expect to see a lot more of me than you have in the last year. xD;
> 
> this fic is also a lot of other firsts for me - I've never written kissing booth fic, for one! or made Levi and Mikasa siblings! or did the whole 'I'm in love with my sister's best friend/I'm in love with my best friend's brother' trope which like. is gold. SO HERE IS ALL OF THOSE THINGS IN ONE FIC.
> 
> and here's hoping you guys have as much fun reading it as I did writing it. <3

“Damn, these things have gotten _fancy_ since we graduated,” Hanji says with a low whistle as they survey the public-park-turned-school-fair that surrounds them. At least, it’s _supposed_ to be a school fair. It looks a lot more like a carnival to Levi, only instead of seasoned carnival workers running things, it’s high school students.

“Wouldn’t be surprised if they used all the money they make to fund this,” Levi responds flippantly, his eyes casting around with little interest. He’s already exhausted from all the noise and the people and the _heat_. Long sleeves had been a poor choice.

“That would certainly explain why our prom was so shitty,” Hanji comments thoughtfully, and Levi just hums noncommittally in response. After all, it’s not like he went to prom.

A string of children run past them, screaming and looking particularly sticky. A trailing balloon nearly smacks him in the face and Levi scowls.

“Let’s just find my sister and leave.” They can go grab lunch somewhere quiet and, more importantly, air conditioned. Levi tugs at his sleeve where it’s sticking uncomfortably against his wrist.

“Leave? So soon?” Hanji puckers their lips. “Don’t you want to eat something smothered in dough and deep-fried first?” Their eyes flash in a way that says they would greatly enjoy watching Levi navigate his way around a funnel cake.

Levi wrinkles his nose even _thinking_ about it. It’s so hot already, and just hearing the words _deep-fried_ makes him feel like he’s sweating canola oil.

Although the smell of popcorn is… Tempting.

“No?” Hanji sighs, forlorn and overdramatic. “I at least want to get some cotton candy.” Their eyes start to survey the area again. “Where is Mikasa, anyway? What kind of torture has she been subjected to?”

“Not sure. She didn’t specify. Just said I should swing by if I had the time.” Which, for his sister, is basically _asking_ for Levi to come. He’s not fond of carnivals, or fairs, or high school fundraisers. Or people. But Mikasa rarely asks for _anything_ that it would’ve been especially dickish of him to not make an appearance. Hopefully, that’ll be enough.

In retrospect, though, he probably should have asked for some clarification. The carnival isn’t massive by any means, but it still looks like every club and sports team from Zackly is crammed into this fucking park. How in the world is he supposed to find his sister in this mess of disorganization and hormones?

“Huh…” Hanji taps their chin thoughtfully. “I remember when we did our prom fundraiser back in the day, the science club had a slime making station before, you know, slime was a thing.” They sigh wistfully. “I wanted to see how much electrocution individual human bodies could withstand before it became painful, but apparently we weren’t allowed to do anything that required _waivers_.” They roll their eyes, and Levi just gives them a look.

The only club he might have been able to say he was apart of was the art society, and even then, it’s not like he did things like _attend club meetings_ or _participate_. He hadn’t been that sort of high schooler. The closest he’d come to participating in the prom fundraising fair was the art that had been hung in the student gallery without his explicit permission.

“Doesn’t being here make you feel all nostalgic and old?” Hanji asks like those feelings make them giddy.

“In this random park? Not really.” It’s not a completely random park. He’s pretty sure he used to come here with Mikasa when they were kids. But that really could have been any park. “If you want, I can leave you here while I go find Mikasa.” It would probably be faster, and while Levi has avoided the horrendous feeling of being baked alive by the sun, he can feel sweat traveling down the small of his back. He pulls at his neckline as subtly as possible, and Hanji quirks an eyebrow.

“Nah. I want to see what her and the girl’s water polo team are up to.” They link their arm with Levi and start to walk further into the fair. It could be the absolute wrong direction, but it’s not like they have any other choice.

Levi shakes them off after a few moments. He wouldn’t indulge them on a normal basis, he _certainly_ isn’t going to when he’s this hot and uncomfortable.

Hanji continues to point out random things—a hot dog cart, an advertisement for the drama club’s afternoon performance, woodshop’s shoddily crafted fun house. None of it really interests Levi, and he keeps his eyes forward and his attention focused. The sooner they find Mikasa, the sooner he can go home and take a shower. At this point, lunch with Hanji can wait.

It’s only his hyper focus that lets him see the sign before Hanji. Off to their left is a crudely constructed platform plastered with a rainbow of garish, neon poster boards and leftover Valentine’s Day decorations. It proclaims itself a **KISSING BOOTH** in horrendous block lettering, but it’s one sign in particular that caught his attention:

**KISS THE SOCCER TEAM - $10**

His mistake is letting the sign take him by surprise. He stops walking just long enough for the meaning of the sign to register fully, but it’s unfortunately long enough for Hanji to see it.

“Wow, the entire team for just _$10?_ What a steal—hey wait.” Hanji bounces up onto the balls of their feet, and it doesn’t matter how hot Levi has been up to this point, he feels a chill of dread creep up his spine. “I know that kid!” Hanji declares, and the toothy grin on their face is downright _carnivorous_.

Levi doesn’t have to look to confirm, can tell by the glee in Hanji’s tone _exactly_ who is sitting on that makeshift platform. But he finds himself looking anyway.

And right there, tucked behind a table with the rest of his team mates, is Mikasa’s best friend—Eren.

*

The summer before Levi’s senior year, the Jaegers had moved into a single story house down the street. Not that Levi knew that then, but he would come to. He certainly knows it now. In fact, he’s almost as familiar with the Jaeger home as he is with Hanji’s father’s condo.

To their mother’s knowledge, Eren and Mikasa had met in their freshmen English class at Zackly. Paired together for a project, or some bullshit like that.

Levi knows that they met because some shitface sophomore had been hassling Mikasa in the cafeteria, and Eren, being the new kid, underestimated Mikasa’s ability to stand up for herself. Eren doesn’t like to tell the part of the story where he got his ass handed to him, but Mikasa likes to bring up the fact that she was the one who ended up saving _him_.

Apparently detention is a great place to nurture friendship.

Not that Levi could judge. The few friends he did have in high school weren’t exactly model students, even if Hanji was the brightest person in their graduating class. They’d have been valedictorian if they hadn’t nearly blown up the science block so many fucking times.

“Let’s get in line,” Hanji insists now, pointing to what looks like a dense cloud of teenage girls. Levi blanches.

“Get in line,” he intones, like he doesn’t quite believe they just suggested it.

“Yeah. What’s the harm?” Hanji grabs him by the arm again, only this time it’s a bit more forceful. They manage to drag Levi a few steps before he starts resisting.

“Let go,” he hisses through his teeth. How is Hanji so freakishly strong? “We didn’t come here for this.”

“Don’t you want Mikasa to have a good prom? We should support the school.” Despite Levi’s best efforts, they are slowly making their way towards the throng of people that somehow functions as a line.

“We can do something else, then,” he insists, eyes flicking up towards the platform. He sees a fretting high school girl lean forward and tentatively kiss one of Eren’s teammates on the cheek.

“Why?” Hanji stops suddenly, eyes twinkling mischievously as they turn back to face Levi. “Why don’t you want to do this?”

 _Fucking shit_ , they’ve got him there. It’s one thing for Hanji to _suspect_ , but it’s another to confirm it. The more he squirms, the more pleasure they’re going to take from this.

Levi stops fighting.

“You’re right.” He keeps his voice as even as possible, glancing away. “Let’s just do this.” This time, when he shakes his arm free, Hanji lets him go, certain in their victory. Both of them know Levi won’t do something as cowardly or attention-drawing as run away. “The next time you manhandle me,” Levi says offhandedly, keeping his attention faced on fixing his sleeve where Hanji’s grip had wrinkled it, “I’ll replace all your cheerios with laxatives.”

“My diet has been lacking fiber lately,” Hanji replies cheerfully, completely not perturbed. Levi sighs softly, and then his eyes flick up of their own volition.

Eren is talking to a pretty red-head who is wringing her hands in the wake of Eren’s charming, toothy smile. She leans down and they share in a brief, friendly peck, before the girl stumbles away like a baby deer.

It was the kind of kiss Eren gives his own mother, and Levi _knows_ it meant nothing, but his mouth twists into a frown either way. _Stupid_.

In between one girl and the next, Eren’s attention actually shifts, and it’s then that his eyes seem to find Levi’s, even from thirty feet away. The smile slips from his face and, even in the late-morning sun, he seems to pale.

He looks _terrified_ , and it’s enough to convince Levi that he should just leave. After all, this is a textbook Bad Idea, and as much as he doesn’t want to deal with Hanji’s shit, he also doesn’t want to make Eren look like _that_.

But in the moment before he can turn and walk away, Eren’s expression turns sheepish—even _shy_ —and he lifts his hand in a subtle, twitchy wave.

The first time Levi had met Eren had been weeks after Mikasa had first mentioned his name. His shift at the theater where he had worked part-time had been cut, and he’d come home in the early afternoon disgruntled and with plans to work out his frustration on a canvas. Instead, he’d walked through the door and heard a loud, male voice he didn’t recognize.

It had been clear to Levi when he walked into the kitchen that day that his sister hadn’t been expecting him to be home. All conversation had immediately halted, and Levi was greeted with the sight of a gangly teenage boy who looked far too at home making himself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich in the Ackerman kitchen. Enough so that it was apparent to Levi that that had not been his first time in their house.

“I thought you had work tonight,” Mikasa had commented as Levi easily made his way to the fridge.

“My shift got cut,” Levi had responded in the same level tone his sister had used as he plucked an apple and the pitcher of iced tea out of the fridge. “Don’t worry, I’m not here to intrude on your sleepover. I have a project to work on.”

“Eren, this is my asshole brother Levi.” It was the sort of reluctant introduction Levi expected from her. “Levi, Eren.”

At that point in time, the only thing Eren had done was stare at him with his stupidly wide green doe eyes and a smudge of peanut butter at the corner of his mouth. He’d looked absolutely terrified.

Levi lifts his hand to returns Eren’s wave, and he can see those now-familiar nerves ebb out of Eren’s features. Well… Looks like he can’t go anywhere _now_.

“You both look so nervous,” Hanji observes, completely unnecessarily. “I wonder why.” They couldn’t sound more delighted if they tried. Levi watches as Eren turns his gaze away, politely dismissing the next girl in line for him in favor of whispering fervently to the boy sitting beside him.

“I’m not nervous,” Levi responds loftily, because he _isn’t_. He’s not exactly calm, but he wouldn’t call the twisting feeling in his stomach nerves, per se.

This… _Thing_ , between him and Eren, has been slowly building over the last several years—so subtle and carefully cultivated that Levi hadn’t really known it was there at all until he was suddenly very, very, _very_ aware. It had been like one of those cheesy romcom epiphany moments that no one is supposed to have in real life, and he’d spent months rejecting the revelations he’d had. They’d seemed ridiculous, and impossible, and were all horribly, horrifically, wonderfully true.

His stomach had felt a lot like _this_ back then, so maybe that’s all it is now. Just more open-armed acceptance of doom.

Eren glances at him again, and smiles that same shy smile, and the feeling in Levi’s gut intensifies.

Yep. Pure, unbridled doom. This boy is going to be the death of him, he can just feel it.

*

By the time Levi is at the base of the stairs and paying his $10, Hanji has disappeared and the twisting in his stomach has miraculously disappeared, replaced with a strange, disembodied zen feeling. Even though the soccer team player he’s sent to kiss is supposed to be random, he isn’t all that surprised when he’s sent straight to Eren.

“Wow. What are the odds?” He comments, lips ticking in a smirk, and Eren ruffles his own hair, glancing away.

“Well, you know, fate works in mysterious ways.” He grins, but he sounds mildly embarrassed. “I—uh. I didn’t expect to see you…” Eren gestures around them, at the sights and sounds and smells of the carnival. “ _Here_.”

“Mikasa asked me to come.” Levi lifts one shoulder in a shrug. “Figured I could be a decent brother for once and actually make an appearance.”

Eren’s eyes soften.

“You’re a great brother,” he insists earnestly, but then his entire countenance shifts as he straightens in the folding chair he’s sitting in. “But the dunk tank is all the way on the other side of the park. How’d you end up over here?”

Levi toys with the idea of telling Eren that he came here specifically to see him, and then decides the truth is less mortifying than making himself say that.

“Mikasa conveniently forgot to give me any instructions on where she was or what she was doing.”

“…so.” Eren grins. “You got lost.”

Levi levels him with a look, and Eren holds his hands up defensively.

“Sorry, sorry.” He’s laughing quietly through the words, and it warms something in Levi’s chest. “Here I was thinking you came all the way here to see me.” He sounds almost wistful.

“Well, next time maybe you should invite me.” Levi quirks an eyebrow. “I’m not a fucking mindreader.”

“Oh, I…” Eren blinks at him, wide-eyed. “I didn’t…” He glances around them nervously. The girls on either side of Levi have changed multiple times since he’s come to stand in front of Eren, and he can feel dozens of eyes on his back.

“For somebody that’s been up here kissing strangers for hours, you certainly seem embarrassed.”

Eren groans, covering his eyes with his hand.

“It’s for a good cause,” he supplies weakly, and as much as Levi would like to argue that _raising money for prom_ hardly qualifies as a good cause, this is hardly the place to do it.

“Sure,” Levi says as he reaches for the tin of Altoids in his back pocket. It takes a few moments for Eren to notice the movement, but once he does, his eyes seem to narrow in on the container as Levi pops one of the mints into his mouth.

There’s almost an accusation of being suspiciously prepared for this sort of occasion, except that Levi always carries mints with him and he knows that Eren knows this.

“Your turn,” Levi says, and Eren’s expression slackens into shock, almost as if Levi just struck him. Like maybe it’s just now occurring to him that _this_ is about to happen.

“I—” he starts to protest, and Levi drops a mint in his mouth. It surprises Eren so much that Levi sees the moment when he swallows the mint rather than letting it dissolve. What a waste. “A little warning next time?”

“I did give you warning.” What about saying _your turn_ wasn’t warning enough?

Levi feels a drop of sweat snake down his arm and settle in the grove of his elbow, and the back of his neck feels sticky from the heat and the amount of eyes that are tracking him. He reaches across the table, ruffling the mid-afternoon bedhead Eren insists is a hair style and wiping in the indignant look on his face.

“All right, we’ve delayed long enough. If I stay out in the sun any longer, I’m going to melt into a pumpkin.”

Eren’s eyebrows twist in a comical way that’s half amusement, half affection.

“You do look pretty hot in that outfit,” Eren says, sounding concerned, but then his brain seems to catch up with his mouth and he starts to flounder. “Not—not like _that_ , but like. Temperature wise. Like you look uncomfortably warm. Not that you _aren’t_ hot in like the attractive sense, I just meant—”

“Eren.” Levi still has his fingers in Eren’s hair, and Eren looks up at him. “I get it,” he assures, dropping his voice, and then leans in and kisses him.

It’s nothing climactic. Eren’s lips are chapped, and his breath is stale, and they’re standing on a stage in front of God and the entirety of Zackly High School’s student body. But aside from that, there’s no discomfort. No awkwardness. Eren relaxes into the kiss like he’s coming home, and even Levi feels the pull to drag it on longer than the few seconds he knows it should. Not to savor it, but just to enjoy it.

After all, this isn’t exactly their first kiss.

Then, like a strike of lightning, there is a familiar crowing catcall from the crowd, and Levi and Eren jerk apart.

“Ah—” Eren says eloquently, and Levi smiles, before digging his chapstick out of his other pocket and setting it on the table between them. Eren really needs to learn to look after himself better. Neither of them say anything as Levi exits the stage, although he does feel slightly mortified once his feet hit the grass. He’s not sure exactly what he thought was going to happen. He can’t even say for sure that wasn’t the best possible outcome.

Hanji is at his side in nearly an instant.

“Sorry,” they say, bumping his shoulder. “Didn’t mean to break the moment.”

He’d assumed the catcall had been them.

“At least like ten different girls took pictures of you guys kissing though,” they comment, wrinkling their nose. “I know exactly who if it’s going to be a problem.” Hanji’s eyes glitter intently behind their glasses, but Levi shakes his head.

“It’s not an issue. Eren is out.” If he hadn’t been, Levi wouldn’t have gotten in that line in the first place. “Mikasa’s in a dunk tank, by the way.” Best to steer this conversation away from Eren as quickly as he possibly can.

“Oh, that sounds fun!” Hanji winds up their arm. “Where is it?”

“Levi!”

Levi and Hanji stop abruptly where they’re walking, and Levi knows it’s Eren running up behind him even before he turns.

“You don’t have to yell, I’ve gone _maybe_ ten fucking feet,” Levi deadpans, and Eren’s giggle is slightly hysterical.

“Yeah, uh, look—” Eren grabs the neck of Levi’s shirt and pulls him into a second kiss without another word. Levi’s eyes close instinctively as he leans into it, and he can feel Eren’s hand as it releases his shirt and slides up to rest against his neck. This kiss is sweeter, albeit briefer, than the last one, although when Eren pulls away, he lingers, brushing the tip of his nose against Levi’s.

“I don’t remember paying for that one,” Levi murmurs, distracted by the way his bottom lip catches against Eren’s as he speaks. Eren huffs a laugh against his mouth.

“Consider it a donation." God, Eren is cheesy. "Sorry, I just wanted to—oh.” The immediate shift in Eren’s tone has Levi opening his eyes. “Hi… Hanji.”

Well. So much for not confirming anything.

“Don’t mind me,” Hanji says from somewhere over Levi’s shoulder. “I’m not learning anything I didn’t already know.”

“You told Hanji?” Eren’s eyes flick back to Levi, and Levi sighs.

“No.” But Eren might as well have. “What did you just want to do?”

“Oh, uh, right.” Eren’s thumb brushes against Levi’s collarbone. “My shift at the booth is almost over. I wanted to know if you wanted to ride the ferris wheel with me.”

Hanji coos and Levi ignores them.

“The one being operated by Old Man Pixis? Yeah, I’ll pass.”

There’s a brief flicker of disappointment made more poignant by the way Eren takes a step back, his hand falling away and breaking their skin-to-skin contact. But it says a lot about Eren, and about how well he knows Levi these days, that he barrels ahead. This time, he loosely tangles Levi’s fingers with his own, playing with them like a shy schoolboy.

“Want to go throw pies at the baseball team?” Eren offers instead, ever persistent, and Levi just quirks an eyebrow. The side of Eren’s mouth pulls up in a grin. “Jean’s on the baseball team,” he supplies, and Levi chuckles. A chance to throw pies at his sister’s dopey boyfriend?

“Yeah, all right. Why the fuck not?” He might have to roll his sleeves up if he’s going to subject himself to another hour outside, though.

“Cool.” Eren stands there a moment longer, and then they all hear someone call his name from back towards the kissing booth. Levi can’t help but wonder how overtop and dramatic his escape had been. “I’ll meet you at the dunk tank?”

“I’ll be waiting with bated breath,” Levi assures as sarcastically as possible, and Eren huffs out a laugh. Before he can pull away completely, Levi reels him in one last time and to leave a kiss on his cheek. This, more than any of the other ones, seems to put Eren the most off balance (if the stupid smile on his face as he waves goodbye is anything to go by).

“Aw.” Hanji appears beside him again, wrapping themselves around Levi’s arm like a sloth. “You’re both so disgusting. How long have you been dating?”

Levi closes his eyes. The rest of his day just got unnecessarily annoying.

But despite the promise of Hanji’s numerous invasive questions and the way he feels like a lobster being boiled alive, Levi can’t help but smile.

“Shut the fuck up, Hanji.”

He finds that he can’t bring himself to regret it.

**Author's Note:**

> [read & reblog on tumblr if you'd like](http://missmichellebelle.tumblr.com/post/176532284690/a-charitable-cause)


End file.
